sheathe

[ sheeth ]

/ ʃið /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sheathe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sheathed, sheath·ing.

to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.

to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.

to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.

to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing: to sheathe a roof with copper.

to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.

RELATED WORDS

encase, wrap, cover, enclose, surround

Nearby words

Origin of sheathe

1350–1400; Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath

Related formssheath·er, noun

Can be confusedsheath sheathe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sheathe

"Sheathe your sword, Sir," said Dr. Upround, in a voice which amazed the officer.
Mary Anerley|R. D. Blackmore
Napoleon, as ever, was magnanimous, and was eager to sheathe the sword which he had only drawn in self-defense.
The Empire of Russia|John S. C. Abbott
Brougham and Durham are reconciled after a fashion; Ministers and Durham mutually desire to sheathe their swords.
The Greville Memoirs (Second Part)|Charles C. F. Greville
He is willing to write a whole essay in criticism for the sake of the “insinuations” which his deceitful blandness will sheathe.
French Classics|William Cleaver Wilkinson

On the sword of my grandfather was engraved the motto, 'Do not draw me without reason nor sheathe me without honour!'
Our Little Spanish Cousin|Mary F. Nixon-Roulet

British Dictionary definitions for sheathe

sheathe

/ (ʃiːð) /

verb (tr)

to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath

(esp of cats) to retract (the claws)

to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sheathe

sheathe

c.1400, "to furnish (a sword, etc.) with a sheath," from sheath; meaning "to put (a sword, etc.) in a sheath" is attested from early 15c. Related: Sheathed; sheathing.